


A Little Jealousy

by royalchttphn



Series: Inktober 2019 Prompts - Reddie [4]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings, no actual angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 20:24:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20895596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/royalchttphn/pseuds/royalchttphn
Summary: Richie greeted Eddie with a soft smile. Eddie merely buckled in and stared out the passenger side window.Inktober 2019 Day 4: Freeze





	A Little Jealousy

**Author's Note:**

> okay this is an actual steaming pile of garbage so i'm sorry in advance

“Eddie, come on - let me in already!”

Richie saw Eddie shake his head, lips pursed, through the glass of Eddie’s bedroom window. Eddie, who was sitting on his warm, cozy bed and not on the snow-covered roof outside his window. Richie huffed.

“Dude, I could get hypothermia. I could get _frostbite_. I could freeze to _death_ out here!”

“You’re not gonna get frostbite, numbnuts. It’s not cold enough.” Eddie’s voice was muffled through the window. “And good riddance if you _do_ die.”

“Ouch, Eds--”

“Don’t call me that.”

“--you wound me! And tell that to my poor, poor fingers.” Richie lifted his gloved hand and wiggled them.

“If you can wiggle your fingers that means they’re fine.”

Richie sighed. “What’s it gonna take to get you to let me in?”

“You could tell me what the fuck you were doing with Annie Dinkley after school, for starters.”

“...What?”

“I saw you two. She was gettin’ real chummy with you, if I remember correctly. Leaning in real close and everything. Looked to me like _flirting_.”

Richie barked a laugh. “Are you jealous of Annie fucking Dinkley?”

Eddie wouldn’t meet his eye.

“Why the fuck would you be jealous? And could you please let me in now? I’m fucking freezing out here.”

With a huff, Eddie shoved his window open and Richie scrambled onto the bed in a heap, grateful to whatever god existed to finally be surrounded by indoor heating.

While Richie resituated himself, Eddie slid the window shut quietly so as to not wake his mom and pushed himself to be sitting against the headboard. He didn’t look at Richie, instead choosing to focus his attention on the fuzzy socks clad on his feet.

“Eddie.”

Eddie didn’t look up.

“You really don’t have to be jealous of Annie Dinkley, okay? I promise you that.”

“Well why was she getting so close to you? And why were you guys in your car? You guys were being all conspiratorial and shit!”

“She was telling me a secret.” Richie shrugged.

“Care to tell me what that secret is?”

“I can’t break her trust like that, Eds. That wouldn’t be fair to her.”

“Since when do you give a shit about being fair? And guess what? It’s not fair to me - your _boyfriend_ \- to be lied to.”

“_Lied to_?” Richie said incredulously. “When the fuck did I _lie_ to you? Pardon me for not telling you every interaction I have with every person ever! Jeez, you’re turning out just like your mom, huh?”

Eddie froze.

“Eddie--”

“Get out.” Eddie’s voice was like ice. Richie suppressed a shiver. “Get out right now.”

“Eddie, I’m sorry. I should never have said that.”

“Wow, that’s the only correct thing you’ve said this entire time! Now get out.”

Out of Eddie’s peripheral vision, he saw Richie move towards the window and slide it open. A chill drifted into the room.

“I love you, Eds, okay?” Richie whispered. “I’ll be around at eight to pick you up for school.”

And with that, he shimmied through the window and shut it behind him.

*****

The ride to Derry High School the next day was a silent one. Richie greeted Eddie with a soft smile. Eddie merely buckled in and stared out the passenger side window. Richie, always uncomfortable when things were too silent, turned the radio on and beat his thumbs against the steering wheel to the soft beat of the music. Eddie couldn’t help but smile a little bit as he watched the houses and cars go by. But then he thought of who had been sitting in _his_ seat the day prior and felt the feeling of anger wash over him once more.

As soon as Richie parked the car in the parking lot behind the school, Eddie made to leave and walk into the building by himself. Richie, however, grabbed his arm and held him in place.

“You have every right to be mad at me - what I said was horrible, and I’m so incredibly sorry.”

Eddie visibly deflated. He always hated being mad at Richie. And it’s not like Eddie’s never said something equally as horrible to Richie in a fight.

“Okay,” he said softly, and turned to smile hesitantly at Richie.

Richie, however, beamed. “So does this mean I have regained the privilege of holding your hand all day?”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Yea, I guess.” But he was smiling, too.

He would stay smiling as he and Richie, hand in hand, walked across the parking lot and up the steps and to their lockers. His smile would drop when he saw Annie Dinkley waiting by he and Richie’s lockers.

“What is she doing here?”

Richie just shrugged.

When the pair got close enough to be spotted, Annie waved cheerfully at Richie and smiled warmly at Eddie. Eddie, who was giving her the stink eye and a cold shoulder simultaneously. As Richie turned to face Annie, Eddie turned to open his locker and eavesdrop on the conversation he was sure he was going to be left out of.

“So,” she said to Richie, “this is that boyfriend you’ve told me about?” Then turning to Eddie, she joked, “I see you’re the pretty one in the relationship, huh?”

“Huh?” Eddie responded.

“He sure is,” Richie replied en lieu of Eddie. “I don’t know why he stooped his standards so low. Must be because I’m so funny.”

Eddie and Annie snorted and Richie put his hand over his heart as if he had been shot. Annie met Eddie’s eye and winked.

“Enough trashing the Trashmouth, my friend. Have you commenced Operation: Soulmate?”

“Is Operation: Soulmate what you two were planning in the car yesterday?” Eddie asked.

Annie’s whole demeanor shifted then. She went from friendly and confident to… anxious. Hurt, even. “You told him about Operation: Soulmate?”

“Not at all. He happened to be snooping around and saw us talking in the car. Got a little jealous, I think.”

Eddie shut his locker door. “I did no such thing.”

“You literally kicked me out of your room, Spaghetti.”

“One: don’t fucking call me that. Two: I kicked you out because you’re an asshole.”

“Wait,” Annie interrupted, “you got jealous because of me?” She seemed bewildered.

“I did not get jealous.”

“Eddie… I swear you will never have to be jealous because of me. In fact, if you must know…” She glanced around, leaned in, and beckoned for Eddie to do the same. “Operation: Soulmate is Richie helping me woo a girl in my geometry class.”

“Oh.” Eddie said intelligently. And then, “Oh.”

Annie nodded and then leaned back.

Richie threw an arm around Eddie’s shoulders. “I like ‘em smart, in case you couldn’t tell, Annie.”

Eddie shoved his elbow into Richie’s side. Richie made a big show of it by squawking and falling over onto the tile floor. 

“He’s an idiot,” Eddie muttered affectionately and then turned to face Annie again. “And… I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I called you many unpleasant names in my head when I saw you standing by our lockers. And last night after Richie left. And yesterday when I saw you two scheming in the car.”

“It’s all good. If my girlfriend wasn’t spending her every waking moment paying attention to me, I’d definitely throw a tantrum, too.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, smiling. “I see why you and Richie are friends.”

“Why’s that?” Richie asked from where he was lying on the floor.

The school bell sounded, signaling the students that they had five minutes before school was to start.

“You’re both colossal assholes.”

Annie threw her head back, her laugh drowned out by the droning tone of the bell.

“I’ve gotta go.” Annie waggled her eyebrows, turning to leave. “Geometry.”

“Go get ‘er, tiger!” Richie called out, finally standing on his feet. “And as for you,” he said to Eddie, “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

“Mm,” Eddie complied, and tilted his face up.

Richie gave him a quick peck on the lips. “See you later, Eds.” And another peck to stop the inevitable “don’t call me that” that was bound to follow.

“You’re a sweet guy, you know that?” Eddie mused, Richie’s face inches from his own.

“What made you see the light?”

“Oh shut up,” Eddie shoved him lightly. “But… you are. You didn’t out her to me and that’s really good of you, Rich. Sorry I got all upset about it.”

“No worries, man.” Richie smiled, and leaned in to kiss Eddie once more.


End file.
